
A Heart for Sonnie
Donation protected
Hi friends, family, colleagues, fellow community members and beyond. My name is Mackenzie Jackson, the daughter of Sonnie Jackson who is currently in the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) at Inova Fairfax for his treatment of congestive heart failure. I am writing this post to share Sonnie's story and how the past two months have impacted the trajectory of his life.
Some of you may wonder how this could happen to a seemingly healthy 55-year-old. The onset of Sonnie's congestive heart failure began years ago. After his youngest daughter, MaryJane, was born in 2015, he was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Congestive heart failure is a serious condition in which the heart doesn’t pump blood as efficiently as it should. Despite its name, heart failure doesn’t mean that the heart has literally failed or is about to stop working. Rather, it means that the heart muscle has become less able to contract over time or has a mechanical problem that limits its ability to fill with blood. As a result, it can’t keep up with the body’s demand, and blood returns to the heart faster than it can be pumped out—it becomes congested, or backed up. This pumping problem means that not enough oxygen-rich blood can get to the body’s other organs. To put things in perspective, a healthy heart of his age has an ejection fracture (EF) of 60-70% of blood out of the left ventricle with every heart beat - Sonnie's EF got as low as 9% for a period of time and averaged 23%; anything lower than 40% indicates possible heart failure. With Sonnie being the big teddy bear he is, it was very hard to digest the fact his heart technically wasn't big enough to give the amount of love he gives out, back to himself.
After his initial diagnosis in 2015, he had a pacemaker fitted. This pacemaker sent electrical pulses to make the ventricles pump at the same time - this helped his heart pump blood much better and put him back feeling like the man he had always been for years to follow. Since having the pacemaker fitted, he had two twin boys, Bryce and Tyson, shortly thereafter in 2016. Across the past three years, Sonnie's health was visibly declining and conversations about a heart transplant ensued. Extreme shortness of breath, bloating in his abdomen, severe fatigue and water retention all progressed at a rapid rate which initiated the next steps in improving his quality of life - he qualified for a heart transplant in 2021 and the process began. Although complex in many ways, we are incredibly grateful and fortunate to have had an idea of what to expect and access to the best medical care in the world.
Come 2023, the Jackson children range from 27 to 7 years old and are proven to be one of the best yet hard-headed support systems a man could ask for. Having built-in babysitters for the littles that are also big enough to kick Sonnie's a** in gear when needed is a blessing and a curse. On June 19th, the hospitalization call came through that it was time for Sonnie to be admitted into the CICU to prepare for a heart transplant. If you know Sonnie, you know he'd rather be on the golf course than go to the hospital... we all knew our lives were going to change from there on out once he ended the night there that Monday. Upon his first week under constant care from INOVA's cardiac team, he had his first Intra-Aortic Balloon Pump (IABP) implanted. An IABP is a device that controls blood flow from the heart. It deflates when the heart pumps blood out and inflates when the heart rests between beats, essentially creating a heartbeat for you. Having this device implanted kept him on a high severity level allowing him to be at the top of the list while waiting for a heart. Unfortunately, his heart didn't take the device well and ended up needing three replacements over the course of eight weeks. Once the third device needed replacement, and a heart big enough for Sonnie still hadn't been found, he knew it was time for a change - he decided to proceed with the Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) which would allow Sonnie to return home to his children while he waits for a heart transplant.
An LVAD is a battery-operated, mechanical device that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of the heart to the rest of the body. This device can give an improved quality of life, but it’s not a cure to heart disease. It's often referred to as "bridge to transplant therapy." This is a life-saving therapy for patients awaiting a heart transplant, like Sonnie. In some cases, the LVAD is able to restore the failing heart, eliminating the need for a transplant. We know finding a donor with a large enough and a heart of the same blood type is out of our control so we are depending on the LVAD for long-term improved quality of life for Sonnie. We are incredibly thankful for the technology and medicinal advances of today's world.
For eight weeks, Sonnie remained under constant care from INOVA's cardiac team for pre-operation prepping. As I am typing this, on August 19th, I am sitting at the end of my father's hospital bed as he recovers from his open-heart surgery for LVAD implantation. Upon regaining consciousness and despite the pain, he has been absolutely determined to heal and come back stronger than ever. Per the doctorate board in his unit, he has broken all patient records thus far; first to be extubated within 24 hours and first to be walking within 48 hours. The family didn't expect anything less. Once he was cleared to move from the CVICU to the step-down unit, which was the last stage in recovery before discharge, things took a turn. His blood pressure remained severely lower than the necessary threshold and he had to be re-admitted into critical care.
For those of you who don't know Sonnie, he grew up in Sugar Land in Sterling, VA and spent his childhood surrounded by his many brothers and sisters. As of recently, he has been raising his youngest children in Leesburg, VA; it was the last place she was before leaving for the hospital on June 19th.
Despite the life-altering past couple months, and a newfound lifetime of uncertainty, Sonnie has remained in great spirits. If you have been fortunate to know him, you can attest that Sonnie is a force to be reckoned with. His friendliness, leadership and love have absolutely filled the hospital rooms. His tenacity and take-no-sh*t attitude have guided him through the hardships of self-advocacy in the medical setting. He continues to exude his lust for life and hope for the future, even during these challenging times. Sonnie has a long, unpredictable road ahead of him; with your support, he can better adjust to this unfamiliar way of life and plan for a bright future ahead not only for him, but for his family.
This GoFundMe aims to help Sonnie's family and friends through this challenging time. Although each donation means so much to us, your support is invaluable. We ask that you keep Sonnie in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers from his LVAD implantation and awaits a new heart.
From the Jackson family to yours, please get your heart checked, even if you don't have significant history of heart disease. Also, if you are not registered as an organ donor, reconsider. It will save someone's life.
Your support is seen, felt and appreciated beyond measure. Thank you in advance for all that you've done.
With much love, gratitude and hope for the future,
--The Jackson Family
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Sonnie's Family: From left to right, Melanie, MaryJane (8), Cameron (21), Tyson (7), Mackenzie (27), Lillian (24), Bryce (7) and Sonnie.


Sonnie with his youngest, Bryce, upon being admitted into the CICU. All of Sonnie's children grew up cuddling in this safe space. As we come together to provide Sonnie a safe space, know that you are appreciated in every capacity.
Thank you to anyone that has taken the time to read this far. I will do my best to update on Sonnie's post-op condition and more.
Organizer

Mackenzie Jackson
Organizer
Leesburg, VA